


Harriet Potter and the Overwhelming Desire to Punch Lucius Malfoy

by wonderfulWonderful505



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Time Travel, F/M, Female Harry Potter, Harry Potter is Not a Horcrux, Heir of Slytherin Harry Potter, Horcrux Hunting, Marauders Era (Harry Potter), Parseltongue, Slytherin Harry Potter, Time Travel Fix-It
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-20
Updated: 2020-05-06
Packaged: 2021-02-27 06:34:15
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 13,353
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22332715
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wonderfulWonderful505/pseuds/wonderfulWonderful505
Summary: Moments after she strikes down the Dark Lord Voldemort in the Battle of Hogwarts, Harriet Potter is sent back 20 years into the past, her parents seventh year of Hogwarts. With no hope of ever returning to her time and a new, Magic made identity, Harriet joins forces with Slytherins and Gryffindors alike to collect Tom Riddle’s Horcruxes as quickly as possible and finally be done with this gods damned war. No longer a Potter, Harriet is desperate for some kind of family and stability in this foreign time. Is there any chance when Magic made her the biological cousin of the Dark Lord?
Relationships: Harry Potter/Severus Snape
Comments: 71
Kudos: 801





	1. A Flash in the Great Hall and Not Flashing the Great Hall

**Author's Note:**

> So this is something I have been working on for a while. It's pretty much finished (just needs editing and what-not) and I used it as a way to de-block myself while I was waiting for Lord Thanatos inspiration to hit. 
> 
> As much as I truly dislike canon Severus Snape I just find so much potential with his character. He's so socially awkward and just needs someone to take his hand and lead him through life so he can understand how to do it properly. There are so many ways that could go and I find myself fascinated with the possibilities. I try not to deviate too much from the smart, snarky, sarcastic Slytherin that Severus Snape truly is at heart because he can be kind hearted and a truly brave, heroic person when he's allowed the opportunity. 
> 
> I think to develop his emotional maturity away from Lily Evans is really the key to making Severus Snape a likeable, more well adjusted person and I find the best way to do that is through Harry. It can go horribly wrong, of course, but, because Harry is such a kind-hearted and giving person, he (in this case she) is able to show Severus that he's really not alone in the world. Harry can relate to Severus in a much more intimate way than Lily Evans ever could (because lets be real, Lily had a pretty great childhood despite being related to Petunia) and if he were to meet Harry, before the heartache of losing Lily despite his actions to save her hit, Severus could have avoided a great number of his mistakes. 
> 
> Harry's life, of course, has been filled with Severus Snape since he was eleven and, quite frankly, Severus has as much of an impact on him as both Dumbledore and Voldemort. I find it really hard to write Harry-centric stories without having Severus as a dominant character because he just has such a significant impact on his life. So much so that (in this fic) Harry's so consumed with Severus that meeting young James and Lily comes second to meeting the younger version of the man who died in her arms.
> 
> Anyway, enough of my rambling! This is a fem!Harry/Severus story written in a fairly different style to my usual writing. Harry's overwhelmed and desperate and more than a little confused with her situation and finds comfort in the man who has saved her life so many times in the past. They hunt down Horcruxes, fuck up Dumbledore's plans and just generally screw with the future timeline. 
> 
> Despite the title, there's no excessive Lucius Malfoy bashing so if that's you're thing, sorry. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it! Chapters will come out every fortnight xx

Severus was sat in the Great Hall for dinner, conversing quietly with Regulus Black. The atmosphere was tense, had been ever since Regulus came back from Yule break with his parents. It seemed Walburga believed her second son was to replace the wayward Black heir and return the Family’s standing to the height it had previously entertained for centuries. It seemed she thought the most assured way to do this was to gift her second son to the Dark Lord as a peace offering and a demonstration of the skills a Black could harness when not subject to the rambunctious ways of Gryffindor House. Severus knew Regulus had no way out of this and that, this summer after his seventeenth birthday, Regulus would be bound and marked by the Dark Lord until either one of them died. 

Severus, being the good friend he was, had thought for many months he would be joining the Dark Lord as well. He was of age and, despite his noble lineage, had no title or fortune to his name. He knew, if he had the opportunity, he could be the youngest Potion Master recorded and develop truly astounding advancements for Wizarding Britain. He also knew, however, the only way to do that was to gain the favour of the Dark Lord and accept his financial aid. Dumbledore sure as hell wouldn’t be helping a Dark aligned student such as himself and Slughorn had never really paid attention to the poor ones, Slytherin or not. They were students he was sure would amount to nothing, purely because of their low socio-economic standing. 

Severus was just explaining the benefits of him and Reg sticking together, despite aligning themselves with an overly antagonistic anarchistic sociopath, when a bright, white flash shot through the Great Hall. There was a quiet thud and silence as the students and teachers stared in shock at the centre of the room where a young woman had appeared between the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff tables. 

She was tall, Severus noted. And she had definitely seen better days. Her raven black hair was tangled and matted in a way that suggested she had been without facilities for some time now. Her golden brown skin was dull, dirty and marred with fresh cuts and what looked like quite an impressive collection of old scars. Her clothes were dirty and torn and had likely moulded to her skin in the absence of a proper wash. She looked feral and desperate and stared around the room like someone who was used to fighting her way out of situations and, he imagined, was fairly good at it. She scanned the stunned faces of the students and when her eyes met his, Severus suddenly forgot how to breathe. Her eyes were extraordinary. The greenest, most vivid colour he had ever seen and Severus found he could not look away. Despite her currently ragged appearance, he knew she was the most beautiful creature he had ever laid eyes on. 

A flash of recognition rippled across her expression, a sort of pain, then confusion, then something else entirely. Severus frowned slightly, wondering why he garnered such a reaction from a woman he had never seen before. 

Then she looked away. 

Her head snapped to Dumbledore as the old man rose from his seat. Severus was in such a position that he could see the dislike in her eyes when she beheld the glorified Headmaster and he wondered how she knew the man as well. She regarded Dumbledore’s form with her wand raised slightly from her side and she turned her head quickly to the Gryffindor table. Her eyes ran along the line of red and gold buffoons and landed briefly on Potter and Lily before halting on Sirius Black. The pain was present for longer this time before it turned to rage when she beheld Peter Pettigrew of all people. 

Severus was confused, greatly so, about how these particular people could garner such a reaction from a complete stranger and he dearly wanted to find out. He clearly wasn’t the only one to notice, either, as quiet murmurs started up along the Slytherin table, and throughout the Hall. It seemed Pettigrew thought hiding behind the wolf would protect him from the formidable woman glaring at him from in between the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff tables, because he shrank behind Lupin as much as his rounded body would allow. It was pitiful, really. 

Dumbledore was a few paces in front of the mystery woman now and her head snapped back to him. Her wand arm raised a fraction higher at the Headmaster’s proximity. She was smart, then, recognising the threat, and Severus had been right in assuming she was prepared to fight her way out of this situation if she had to. Whether or not she knew what kind of opponent Dumbledore would be, he didn’t know, but she definitely what the old man was. A war general above everything else he spent his days masquerading as.

“Who are you?” the Headmaster asked and complete silence ran through the Hall once more. Everyone wanted to know who the strange woman before them was. There was something familiar about her, something about her bone structure and features that looked similar enough to the pureblood lines, she was likely to be related to at least one of them. 

“My name is Harriet Peverell,” she said slowly and Severus could see she was regulating her words. Whether that was because she was lying about who she was or purely because she had not spoken to anyone in a long time, he didn’t know. He did notice the gleam that entered the Headmaster’s eyes briefly at the mention of her surname, however, and wondered what that was about. The Peverells were a very old family. An Ancient and Noble House that was on par with the Blacks in its prestige. It was a notoriously neutral House, however, so he could assume she had no snake and skull tattooed on her left arm. 

“How old are you?” he asked again and she stared defiantly up at him, like she had been judged by her age too often and was tired of people using it against her. Severus knew what that was like and suddenly felt a strange kind of kinship with the mysterious Harriet Peverell.

“Seventeen,” she said strongly. She definitely looked young enough to be a seventh year but there was a rigidness to her body and a gleam in her eye that suggested she had been through enough that she would seem much older than the sheltered children currently surrounding her. 

“How did you get here?” the Headmaster asked, taking a step towards Harriet Peverell, only for her to rescind a step and keep the old man at a distance. Severus could tell she was getting increasingly uncomfortable standing at the centre of an entire school’s attention and couldn’t help wishing he could do something to help her. He was no prefect or outstanding school socialite though, so there wasn’t much he could do that wouldn’t draw attention to himself as acting extremely out of character. 

Her eyes hardened at the question and Severus knew then that she did not come here willingly. He had thought, when she first arrived, that she may have apparated here in a fit of accidental magic to save herself from whatever situation put her in this state. “I was in a fight,” she said equally as slowly and Severus was sure she was keeping a  _ lot _ to herself at the moment. He was not surprised at this though, she was clearly in unfamiliar territory and it was never good to give away all your information at once. “I was hit by three spells at the same time, I’m not sure which ones,” she added quickly when Dumbledore opened his mouth to continue questioning her, “I was surrounded by a white light then I ended up here.” 

For some reason completely unknown to him, Severus believed every word Harriet Peverell said. He knew she was keeping things from the Headmaster, likely a great deal many things judging by the Headmaster’s still wary eyes, but he also knew what she  _ had _ said was the truth. Miscast and unfamiliar spells mixing together could have the most disastrous effects. If this girl was truly hit with three unknown spells at the same time, there was no telling what had happened to her. Dumbledore seemed to finally realise this too as he signalled to Madame Pomfrey who was still staring, shocked, at the head table. 

The medi-witch jumped up from her seat and bustled over to the standoff in the middle of the hall, extending a hand to Harriet Peverell as she moved closer. “I am Poppy Pomfrey, dear, the school’s medi-witch. I think it’s best if we get you up to the Hospital Wing just to make sure you’re okay,” she said in her usual kindly voice. 

Harriet Peverell nodded her head slowly and gestured for the medi-witch to lead the way. She kept an eye on Dumbledore as he followed the two women out the door and Severus knew she was still extremely uncomfortable. The Hall exploded with noise when the doors swung shut behind the trio, questions of ‘Who?’, ‘How?’ and ‘What the Hell?’ fluttering around the students in rapid succession. Severus sat back in his seat, tearing his eyes away from the door Harriet Peverell had just walked through and exchanged a look with Regulus. They were both in agreement, Harriet Peverell was a new player in the game and things at Hogwarts just might be changing faster than anyone could think. 

* * *

The next time Harriet saw Lucius Malfoy she was going to punch him. She didn’t care how plebeian or decidedly  _ muggle _ the action was, she was going to do it anyway. When Hermione punched Draco in third year she had seemed extremely satisfied afterwards, so Harriet could only assume she would get the same satisfaction punching his father. There was no doubt in her mind he was the reason for this current mess she was in. The last thing she remembered as she was standing over the corpse of the Dark Lord Voldemort was a flash of long silver white hair in her peripheral, then the blinding white light that led her here; walking to the Hospital Wing with a decidedly younger Madame Pomfrey and a very alive Albus Dumbledore. 

When the light had faded she had been standing in the exact same position she was when it had started. She was, however, surrounded by happy, healthy, uninjured or scarred Hogwarts students in a castle  _ not _ reduced to rubble by the worst Battle in British Wizarding history. She had glanced to the Slytherin table instinctually, to check on Draco and Blaise. The last time she had seen either of them, they were surrounded by the parents of their housemates, battling for their lives amidst Order members and Hogwarts students alike. What she found, however, was not her tentative Slytherin friends and invaluable allies in the fight against Lord Voldemort, but a very young looking Severus Snape and a boy who could only be Sirius’ younger brother Regulus Black. 

She had been very confused when she stared into the black eyes that had haunted her dreams for the past three years and a stabbing pain flickered through her as she remembered his face as he died in her arms. That had been just over three hours ago, yet here he was, looking back at her with a small frown on his face that she knew meant he was thinking very hard about something. There was no denying it was Severus Snape. She would know his face anywhere. Had stared at it for six years and admired it for almost as long. She had been harbouring a stupid schoolgirl crush on the man since he found out about her life at the Dursleys during a particularly disastrous Occlumency lesson. He had not mocked or teased her as she had expected, but looked at her long and hard for a moment, apologised succinctly and only once, then had treated her like the adult she had been forced to become ever since. He was entirely too handsome, she thought when she admired his unlined face. She had to wonder why no one had ever snatched him up if he looked like that throughout his Hogwarts years. 

Dumbledore had looked much the same as he always had as he stalked slowly towards her like she was a frightened animal. She supposed she was rather feral looking, but that was what happened when you had no chance to change after robbing a bank on the back of a stolen Dragon, battling Death Eaters and Snatches and Trolls and Giants and Vampires and Werewolves for the next day and a half, actually dying, coming back to life, finally killing the man who had haunted you like a Whomping Willow shaped poltergeist for the past sixteen years then being hit with three unknown spells that, apparently, if she was reading the situation right, sent you back in time 20 years. Considering the circumstances she thought she looked rather good actually. She had all her limbs and there had been no indecent exposure in front of the entire Great Hall due to the rips in her tattered clothing. 

Seeing her parents had left her with a strange feeling in her heart. She had no memory of ever seeing them alive, only knowing what they looked like due to the photos Hagrid had gifted her at the end of her first year and unfortunate interactions with Dementors. Her heart had ached something fierce when she noticed Sirius, still not quite over the death of her Godfather despite the time that had passed since her fifth year. 

Peter Pettigrew had inspired something so furious in her she was surprised he hadn’t caught fire under the glare she gave him. There were very few people that could inspire that kind of hatred in her and that included both Peter Pettigrew and Voldemort. She had barely even noticed the werewolf he was hiding behind, having only just lost the last connection to her parents when Remus and Tonks fell earlier in the battle. 

Her mind raced when Dumbledore started asking questions. It was to be expected, really. A strange woman turning up in the middle of the Great Hall looking like death warmed up would inspire a curious and cautious reaction out of anyone. But, if the Marauders and Severus were in their seventh year (which she had assumed by Severus’ position at the Slytherin table), the year was 1978 and Voldemort was gaining power rapidly within the Ministry and Death Eater raids had stepped up in both violence and frequency. A strange person entering Hogwarts seemingly with no effort would no doubt put the Headmaster on edge and put Harriet in a very suspicious light. 

They reached the Hospital Wing and Madame Pomfrey ushered her over to a bed while she rushed off to retrieve her supplies. She sat precariously on the edge of the mattress, aware of the exit behind her and Dumbledore’s imposing presence at her side. It had been a very long time since she had been subject to Dumbledore’s twinkling gaze and, though her Occlumency was more than superb thanks to Severus and the absence of the Horcrux in her head, she always felt like the man was reaching into her very soul, her every secret, when she looked him in the eye. She had yet to do that tonight and she knew he had noticed it and was likely very aware she was hiding something.

Madame Pomfrey ran her diagnostic scans, grumbling and muttering about the lack of nutrients her body had received lately and the borderline malnutrition she was currently suffering. The medi-witch healed the few slices Harriet had to her sides and legs, likely from fallen rubble and stray  _ diffindo _ s in the battle she had just left. Harriet was handed a pair or Hospital Pyjamas and pointed in the direction of the bathroom. Clearly she was well enough, and in no immediate danger of unknown spell damage, for the medi-witch to address the dirt and muck layering her patient before putting her on bed rest for the night. 

She scrubbed and cleaned herself, relishing the hot water shower she had missed in her time on the run with Ron and Hermione and decided she would think about the probable time-travel and what exactly that meant for her in the morning. She had a feeling that whatever Lucius Malfoy and his conspirators had thrown at her (if it was indeed intentional), it would not be reversible and she was stuck in 1978 with her seventeen year old parents and a very alive Voldemort. She emerged from the bathroom into a mercifully empty hospital room, settled herself on the bed that had been hers since she broke her arm in first year, and was asleep before her head hit the pillow. 


	2. Nosy Headmasters and Fathers and Godfathers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harriet talks to the Headmaster and James Potter and Sirius Black. They all find out some interesting information about the mysterious Harriet Peverell.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so here's chapter two. I just want to say that this is not a Dumbledore bashing story. Dumbledore's a man like everyone else and therefore is not infallible. He makes some bad choices in his life and many of those just happen to effect Harriet more than anyone. She's aware of that and, while she respects his power and all that he has done for the world, she recognises that it is time for him to step aside and allow Wizarding Britain the chance to change and evolve. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy this chapter!

There was someone watching her, she noticed, as she came back into awareness the next morning. They were not sitting beside her like a normal visitor but standing at the foot of her bed in an entirely more ominous manor. The sunlight streaming in through the window behind her, told her it was morning, and likely very early still. Harriet had to bite back a groan when she recognised the magical signature at the foot of her bed. Of course the old man couldn’t wait for her to feel human again before ambushing her with more questions. He had always been like that. It was likely only the unknown nature of the spells that struck her and the possibly horrific implications this could have on her health, that Dumbledore allowed her to see Madame Pomfrey before the  _ real _ interrogation occurred. It sucked to be him, she supposed. He had never intimidated her, and Voldemort and his entire army of Death Eaters would not get her to help Dumbledore change the future as  _ he _ wills. 

“You know,” she said, opening her eyes and relishing in the slight jump of surprise she gleaned from the Headmaster, “staring at people while they sleep is a sure fire way to get a knife thrown at you.” 

She would have laughed at the look of pure shock on Dumbledore’s face when she raised her left hand, the knife Sirius had given her clutched tightly between her fingers, if it hadn’t been a very real warning. She, Ron and Hermione had become so accustomed to each other in the tent that any magical signature she felt as she woke that didn’t match theirs would very quickly find themselves bound and gagged by an instinctually acting, and extremely ruthless, witch. 

“It’s a good thing I know your magic though, Headmaster,” she continued, “or I likely would have done something I would have regretted.” 

“Who are you?” he asked a little incredulously and entirely more wary once she mentioned she knew what his magic felt like.

“What year is it?” she countered. 

He regarded her with an intense sort of interest as she continued to avoid looking directly in his eye. “1978,” he said too casually and she was witness to the calculating glint she hadn’t seen since that night in fifth year when he told her the prophecy, returning to his eyes.

“I thought so,” she replied and she could see the moment the realisation hit him. 

“What year is it for you?” 

“I don’t think that really concerns you, Headmaster, after all, terrible things happen to wizards who meddle with time.” The steel in her voice was not overrun by the chuckle she let out at the joke he would never understand. The night he sent Harriet and Hermione back in time to save Sirius still haunted her. There were so many things that could have gone wrong that night. They could have made everything so much worse and it was only her unending luck and Hermione’s brilliant brains that allowed them to complete their task successfully. 

“Indeed they do, Miss Peverell,” he said genially. “I might be able to aid you in your quest however, assuming you came back here for a reason.” There was a hard edge to his expression that she knew meant he was struggling for control. He knew she likely had come from a battle against Voldemort, or something equally as horrific in the future. He knew she had valuable information up her sleeve and he wanted it from her. Too bad Harriet knew the Headmaster all too well and was well aware of what he would do with that information. 

“I was entirely truthful to you last night, Headmaster. I did not come here willingly and I owe the man who sent me here a broken nose.” She chuckled again, picturing Lucius Malfoy, marred by a crook in his previously perfectly straight nose. His entire image would be ruined. She couldn’t wait. “You are correct in assuming I have a quest, however, though I will not be including you in its implementation. There is such a thing as too much power, Headmaster, and I have seen the way it affects you.” 

“Have you indeed?” he asked, face pale at the thought of what he might have done in the future. “Well I must say I am not entirely surprised, I know myself quite well, you see?” He may, Harriet mused, but he would always desire to make the world in his image. He would always have that weakness. It had been his goal from the age of seventeen and there was no getting rid of it now. Just because he moved on from complete muggle takeover, to controlling all head positions in Wizarding Britain, didn’t mean he didn’t flounder when he wasn’t in complete control of everything around him. Didn’t mean he didn’t play this world like his own personal chess game, no matter the cost of the pawns. 

“I know you quite well also, Headmaster, and I know that, if you had the information I have, this war would not come to the quick end that it needs,” she stared directly into his eyes for the first time since landing here in the past. Her shields were up so tight she thought she’d burst, but he could see the truth in her eyes as she spoke. “You would revel in your power and bide your time until the world is at its darkest and then you would swoop in on your white horse and save the day. That’s what you did with dear Gellert wasn’t it? Defeated him at the most opportune time, all for the Greater Good. You know, Headmaster, I never got the chance to ask you who's Greater Good it was exactly; the worlds, or yours?” 

His face was deathly pale now. Likely he was unused to people understanding his character so well. He wore masks like the best of Slytherins, after all. “I was a young man -” 

“Now you are an old man. It is time to let someone else take over.” She said it with such determination she surprised herself. She knew she would have political power here as well, but she had no desire to launch herself back into the limelight. Yes, the world needed change away from men like Dumbledore and Voldemort, but she would not be the head of that change. 

“And that person is you?” he asked predictably, likely attempting to gauge whether he was currently harbouring a potential homicidal dictator for the second time in a half century. “Tom?” he asked again when he seemed to glean her reluctance from her reaction. 

“Please,” she scoffed, “Tom would be a horrible ruler. He’s more self centred in his goals than you are and has absolutely no idea how to effectively ‘save’ Wizarding Britain.” 

Her eyes flicked slightly to the bed next to her. A very familiar magical signature was crouched close to another she had thought lost in the depths of her memory. She smiled slightly and wondered whether Dumbledore could feel them too. “I have never had a head for politics,” she said, addressing the first part of his question finally, “I merely believe we need a fresh start. Clearly something in the old system isn’t working right.” 

“You are correct I suppose,” he said probably unwilling to admit his failings to a seventeen year old he had just met, no matter how much she clearly already knew about him. “Will you be needing a place at Hogwarts?” he asked to change the subject and move on from a topic he clearly wasn’t getting any answers he liked from. 

“I suppose,” she echoed, smirking slightly at the faint snort she noticed near the bed. “I will need to leave on weekends and see the Goblins as soon as possible, but another few months in Hogwarts wouldn’t hurt. I have missed her so.” 

He thought hard for a moment, “How did you get through the wards?” 

“Ah, yes,” she said, coming to the only problem she allowed herself to think of last night. “I only moved through time, not space it seems. And I imagine the wards only existing here helped it along.”

A pregnant silence filled the room while the Headmaster thought on Harriet’s words. “Will you save her?” he asked, his face grave. His beloved Hogwarts had her walls breached and contained someone who looked like they’d been through hell. Clearly something had happened that likely would have destroyed the school. 

“I will do everything I can to protect her and the students. I never want to see that kind of loss again.” There was so much emotion in her voice Harriet thought she might be about to cry. It would be an understandable reaction, she realised. She had literally just been displaced from her timeline, one where she had lost a great many people and left all her remaining friends and family behind. She had no way back to what she had left, would never see her Ron or Hermione-. She stopped her thoughts where they were. It would not be good to break down in front of Dumbledore after all. 

The Headmaster nodded his head, regarding her carefully one more time before straightening up. “I will allow Madame Pomfrey to decide when you are discharged, then I will allow Professor McGonagall to accompany you to the Bank to determine your identity and vaults,” he stopped for a second, looking at her one more time. “There will be something for you to claim there, won’t there Miss. Peverell?”    


He seemed genuinely concerned for her wellbeing so she smiled slightly at him. “There will be at least one vault available to me with enough for me to get by until I can find work or whatever it is I will do with the rest of my life.” Her eyes flicked to the bed beside her and the two hidden figures for a moment before continuing, “I am a Peverell by blood and no one has claimed the vaults in many years.” 

He nodded his head once again, a solemn look about him. “I will alert both Madame Pomfrey and Professor McGonagall of the plan then,” he said and walked off in the direction of the Great Hall. It was likely time for breakfast to be served. 

Harriet picked up her wand from where it rested on the bedside table and, with a complicated movement, erected a privacy barrier around her bed and the one over. She looked directly at the two hidden forms, smirk on her face as she spoke to them; “Hello Sirius Black and James Potter, how are you this fine morning?” 

There was a slight crash as one of the boys ran into the bed in their surprise, then the Potter Family Invisibility Cloak was hastily removed to reveal Harriet’s teenage father and godfather. Their sheepish expressions lasted only a second before confusion settled in. “How did you know where we were?” James asked.

“How do you know who we are?” Sirius asked at the same time. 

Both boys regarded her warily as she gestured for them to occupy the chairs by her bedside, but eventually followed her instructions and sat down. “As I’m sure you have determined from my discussion with Dumbledore, I am from the future,” she said matter of factly and watched both boys eyes widen. James then narrowed his eyes at her, examining her facial features with a precision she had never experienced before. She watched as he noted the angle of her nose, the untameable hair and the shape of her eyes. Her skin, while dulled from months in the snow and rain, glowed the same golden brown as both James and his father before him. She saw the recognition in his eyes as soon as he acknowledged it and nodded her head. 

“You’re a Potter?” he asked anyway and she chuckled. 

“Potter-Black, actually.” Her eyes shone with mischief as James and Sirius regarded each other looking a bit sick at the implication that she was the product of two people who regarded themselves as brothers. “Relax,” she said lightly and their eyes snapped back to her, “my godfather blood adopted me into the Black family.” 

“Am- am I your Father?” James asked and Harriet was highly amused by the mixture of fascination and horror that made up his expression. She imagined seeing your seventeen year old daughter in front of you before you even knew she existed would be a bit of a shock to anyone. 

“No,” Harriet said and James’ face crinkled with confusion. “What I mean is that my father died to save me and you will never have to do that,” she said by way of explanation. “While you may be James Potter and therefore biologically my father, we are technically the same age, you have no daughter of your own and you will not have the same experiences my father did. We are still family, both of you,” she glanced at Sirius briefly before returning her gaze to James, “but you will forever be separated in my mind from my father and godfather.” 

“That makes sense,” Sirius said. He was studying her as intensely as James had moments prior, likely searching for his features within hers. His cheekbones were hers, the shape of her chin and the liquid night of her hair were all his as well. He found all these features within Harriet’s face and nodded shortly to himself, having confirmed her story as much as he apparently needed.

“Who is your mother?” James asked suddenly and Harriet laughed. 

“Of course you would ask that,” she said and rolled her eyes. “Lily Potter née Evans.” 

“YES!” James exclaimed and Harriet was thankful she had the foresight to put up the privacy barrier. Sirius nudged James with an elbow and the two exchanged large grins at the thought that James finally got the girl and Harriet laughed once more. 

“Yes, yes,” she said, “you got the girl and Mum somehow decided you were worth her time enough to marry you.” Sirius dissolved into chuckles and Harriet winked at the affronted look on James’ face. She thought there might actually be something good about all this time-travel nonsense if she could continue to have moments like these with her lost loved ones. She just had to remind herself that these people were not the same ones that she had previously mourned. They were largely innocent of the influence of Lord Voldemort and, if she had her way, they would stay that way. 

Harriet disbanded the privacy ward and shooed James and Sirius away when she felt Madame Pomfrey moving around her personal rooms. The medi-witch emerged to check Harriet for negative side-effects of the spells that sent her there. The tests came back negative for anything potentially harmful and Madame Pomfrey left to alert Professor McGonagall to the situation and allow Harriet time to clean herself up and dress in the clothes the medi-witch had so thoughtfully procured for her. 


	3. Cats and Goblins and Shopping for Clothes in the Seventies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harriet takes a trip to Gringotts and finds out that Magic is so completely on her side

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know the timeline of the horcruxes and where they all are in 1978 may be off but just go with it ;)
> 
> Also, Harriet had the horcrux in her scar destroyed before she came back in time so that isn't one of them and Nagini didn't get made into a horcrux until the summer of '94 so Voldie doesn't have any living horcruxes.

Minerva McGonagall walked Harriet through the quiet halls of Hogwarts, heading towards her office. Harriet observed her former Head of House and wondered just how much the Headmaster had told the stately woman before sending her to escort the stranger who appeared in the Great Hall to the Bank. Harriet asked as much and was unsurprised when the Professor merely raised an eyebrow as if to say ‘why on earth would we talk about that out here in the open?’

Harriet had always admired the older woman. She had been a role model for both Harriet and Hermione since they were eleven and it had become both girls life mission to always seem as put together and generally imposing as the fierce woman who looked after them ten months out of the year. Neither girl had yet to perfect what was donned the ‘McGonagall scowl’ that put both the fear of the gods and an unimaginable amount of guilt on your shoulders whenever directed at you. Hermione had gotten closer than Harriet thought was altogether fair but, to Harriet, the Head of Gryffindor was extremely hard to imitate. 

Ushered into McGonagall’s office, Harriet was overcome by the familiar sense that she’d done something wrong and she should start apologising before she remembered exactly why she was there. McGonagall sat behind her desk and gestured for Harriet to sit before her. A tin of biscuits was offered to her and Harriet accepted one with a small smile. Apparently some things were the same whether you were 20 years in the past or not. 

“You’re the daughter of James Potter and Lily Evans, yes?” McGonagall asked and Harriet just stared at her for a moment. There really was nothing that could pass by this woman, apparently, and Harriet was hit with an extreme sense of fondness. 

“Yes,” she said once the initial shock had worn off. “Is it that obvious?” 

McGonagall smiled in her perpetually tight lipped way and let her face soften for a moment. “No,” she said reassuringly, “though if you know both Mr Potter and Miss Evans as well as I do and also know that you, dear, are from roughly 20 years in the future, then it is not too difficult for an intelligent person to ascertain.” 

Harriet nodded that she understood and smiled mischievously at the Gryffindor Head before she added; “I’m also the blood adopted goddaughter of Sirius Black.” 

McGonagall shook her head with a chuckle and muttered something that sounded remarkably like ‘I pity myself in 20 years time’. She looked thoughtful for a moment before returning her attention to Harriet. “Am I to assume that both Mr Potter and Mr Black are aware of who you are?” she asked and Harriet laughed outright. It seemed the Marauders got away with a great deal less than they originally thought. Apparently McGonagall was just selective when it came to catching them in the act. 

“Yes, Professor, they were present for my conversation with Dumbledore and we spoke for a while afterwards.” 

McGonagall nodded once again and then stood from her seat. She directed Harriet towards the fireplace and the two traveled directly to the Leaky Cauldron. 

* * *

Harriet stepped gracelessly out of the floo and into the wizarding pub. She had landed on her feet however, so Harriet concluded that wizarding travel was easier in the seventies than in was in the nineties. She followed McGonagall through the archway into Diagon Alley, winding her way expertly through the crowds of people looking to buy whatever was currently being sold along the magical street. 

They arrived in the white Halls of Gringotts and McGonagall directed Harriet to an open teller. They requested a private room and inheritance test then were led through a maze of stone corridors to an opulently designed door adorned with the sign ‘Sharpclaw: Peverell Accounts Manager’. Harriet took a second to wonder how the Goblins knew what her chosen new identity was before the door opened and they were led inside. 

Sharpclaw was a fierce looking Goblin whose office was littered with filing cabinets and various designs of axe and sword. It was clear to Harriet that he harboured no love for anything but work or battle. That was fine though, she could admire that in a Goblin. 

“What is it that I can do for you today Miss Peverell?” Sharpclaw asked and Harriet and McGonagall seated themselves before his desk. 

“I am here for an inheritance test and to claim any vaults or titles I have to my name. I am also here to ask how much you know about who I am?” Harriet looked straight into the goblin’s eyes, back straight and shoulders relaxed. It would do her well for the Goblin nation to respect her. She would soon be claiming the title of one of their oldest clients after all. 

“We at Gringotts make it our business to know when a witch or wizard is not in the time they should be,” Sharpclaw said harshly and Harriet prayed to the gods Gringotts wouldn’t have some punishment in store for her daring to be displaced from her original timeline. “We are well aware of the circumstances of your journey here Miss Peverell, therefore you will not be fined for your presence in 1978.” Harriet breathed a sigh of relief at that and smiled. 

“I thank the Goblin nation for its kindness,” she said with a short bow in her seat. 

Sharpclaw smirked and pulled a potion filled bowl and a blank sheet of parchment from his draw and placed them on the table before her. “Three drops of blood into the potion Miss Peverell and we will see what it is you are eligible to claim.” 

She pulled out her wand and cast a very underpowered  _ diffindo _ at her finger and allowed three drops of her blood to enter the silvery potion. She watched the blood turn the potion a deep purple colour as she healed her finger then looked up to Sharpclaw for further instructions. He merely raised the bowl and poured the potion onto the blank parchment where it was absorbed very much reminiscent of Riddle’s diary in her second year. 

Words began to spread across the parchment in the same deep purple as the potion and Harriet held her breath as her new life was decided. She picked up the parchment when it seemed there was nothing more to be added and read. 

* * *

Harriet Lilian Peverell

Age: 17 

Father: Jameson Peverell (deceased) 

Mother: Lilian Peverell née Gaunt (deceased)

Houses:

Lady of the Ancient and Noble House of Peverell 

Lady of the Ancient and Noble House of Gaunt

Lady of the Ancient and Noble House of Slytherin

Abilities:

Parseltongue 

Mage Sight 

Contracts:

Nil. 

* * *

She passed the parchment off to Sharpclaw as her thoughts churned. The goblin 'hummed as he read then passed the information to Professor McGonagall who Harriet had almost forgotten sat beside her. “It seems,” the goblin said, “that Lady Magic has blessed your coming to this time with an identity confirmed in your very blood and magic. You are, from this day forward, the daughter of Jameson Peverell and Lilian Gaunt, granddaughter to Morfin Gaunt and cousin to Tom Riddle.” 

“I thought Morfin Gaunt was sent to Azkaban in 1944 when Tom Riddle framed him for the murder of Tom Riddle Snr. and his parents?” Harriet asked and Sharpclaw smirked again. 

“It seems you know your history well, Miss Peverell,” he said and she nodded slightly in return. Sharpclaw closed his draw, muttered something in Gobbledegook and opened it again, pulling out a folder. He perused its contents for a moment while Harriet waited on the edge of her seat, then cleared his throat to explain. “It seems Mr Morfin Gaunt had a regular visitor while imprisoned on the island of Azkaban, a young Lucretia Malfoy, Abraxas Malfoy’s younger sister who was cast aside when it was discovered she was a Squib. She held an intimate relationship with Mr Gaunt and the year he was imprisoned, she fell pregnant with Ms Lilian Gaunt, your magic made mother.” 

“You’re joking?” Harriet asked a bit incredulously. She was related to a Malfoy? She was Lucius Bloody Malfoy’s cousin. This was just great. The goblin looked to be oblivious to her current predicament and just stared blankly at her. 

“Why is it I am inheriting the Gaunt and Slytherin Ladyships, though?” she asked. “It was my understanding that at least the Gaunt line was purely male inherited. I may be the granddaughter of the eldest child of Marvolo Gaunt but I am still a female.” 

Sharpclaw smirked at Harriet once again and it seemed he was greatly amused by what he was about to tell her. “You must know, Miss Peverell, that the Goblin’s hold no love for Tom Riddle or his cause. He speaks of fairness and rights for the magical creatures of this world but he is as hypocritical as they come and we know, just as prejudice against our kind as most wizards are,” he explained with a bloodthirsty grin and she knew this was going to be something she  _ greatly _ wished to hear. “It seems that, along with Lady Magic’s granting you a valid position within this timeline, she has denied Tom Riddle his right to inherit based on the abominations he has created to extend his life.” 

Harriet smirked herself, then. This was fantastic. Good old Voldie had damned himself more than he knew with his horcruxes and she couldn’t wait to see his face when she told him. And she would tell him. There was no way she was going to let him die without letting him know who exactly had destroyed him and how. “That is just wonderful news,” she said. 

Sharpclaw nodded happily and summoned a box with his mysterious draw and placed it before her. Harriet picked it up and opened it to find three beautiful rings, one of which was extremely familiar to her. She brought out her wand and cast all the detection spells she knew at the Gaunt Lordship ring, something passed down through the line of Cadmus Peverell. The resurrection stone and one of Tom Riddle’s first horcruxes. “Do you know what this was?” she asked Sharpclaw, gesturing to the ring before her. He nodded his head. 

“It has been cleansed of the abomination it was tainted with and the curses have been removed.”

“It has been destroyed then?” she asked and smirked sharply when he nodded yet again. “Very well,” she said and slid the ring onto her finger. She was hit with a surge of family magic that filled her heart with warmth and put a small smile on her face. Harriet repeated the action with the Slytherin and Peverell Lordship rings and was sporting a full-blown grin by the end of it. It felt wonderful to be so connected to her family. True, they might not have been her families originally but they would be from this day forward. It was good to finally feel like she belonged. 

Sharpclaw passed over a folder of information on the contents of her many vaults and she found herself more secure than she originally thought. Apparently the Peverell and Slytherin vaults had been sitting around collecting interest for a great many years and she was more than happy to reap the benefits. She requested Sharpclaw make any investments he deemed profitable and tasked him with restoring the pitiful Gaunt vaults to their former glory, to which he was more than happy to oblige. 

“Very well, Lady Peverell,” Sharpclaw said when the financial talk was concluded, “is there anything else I can do for you today?” 

Harriet thought for a moment before an idea struck her. “I know this is entirely unorthodox, but considering your admitted dislike of my dear cousin, might I request your services in destroying another of his abominations?” 

Sharpclaw looked to consider for a moment, likely determining where this conversation would be going and how willing the Goblin nation’s hatred of the Dark Lord would make them to essentially enable a break into their beloved bank. Finally he nodded his head and Harriet continued. 

“There is a cup, belonging to the Hufflepuff line that I believe is in the vault of one Bellatrix Lestrange. It has been tainted with the same magic that you removed from the Gaunt ring and I request that you remove it from the cup. I have no intention of taking the cup from Gringotts grounds nor keeping it for myself once the taint has been removed,” she explained, wary of how much she was revealing in front of Professor McGonagall and how much would inevitable get back to Dumbledore. She didn’t want him screwing up her plans trying to act all benevolent and good. “It should be returned to Lady Bellatrix’s vault once the deed is done.” 

Sharpclaw considered her for a moment and finally, after what felt like a lifetime to Harriet, nodded once sharply. “It will be done Lady Peverell. I shall send you an owl when it is completed.” 

Harriet thanked Sharpclaw profusely, purchased a money pouch connected directly to the main Peverell vault and left with McGonagall back to Diagon Alley. She couldn’t keep the grin off her face as she browsed bell-bottomed jeans and halter tops, bought a trunk with a auspiciously large library compartment and more clothes and shoes than she probably needed and finally made her way back to Hogwarts. Two horcruxes down and it was only her first day. This was going better than she imagined. 


	4. Snakes and Talks and a Crush on a Teacher Who's Not a Teacher Anymore

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harriet gets sorted and her Gryffindor boys get a shock, Severus meets the mysterious new girl and gets more questions than answers and Harriet gets a snake

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been away, I know. Life has been crazy these past couple of months but I'm hoping to get back into a routine, especially with my writing. This is the longest chapter yet, I hope it was worth the wait. Enjoy! 
> 
> Also, :italics: is parseltongue in case you couldn't figure it out from the context

“SLYTHERIN!” the Hat shouted into the din of the Headmaster’s office. Harriet lifted the garment off her head only to be met with the shocked faces of both Dumbledore and McGonagall. 

“To be fair,” she said to the Professors before her, “I convinced him to put me in Gryffindor in first year. He just wasn’t having that this time, especially with who I am and what I have to do here.” 

“We best get Messrs Potter and Black here before we announce your sorting to the school,” McGonagall said when she recovered from her shock. Harriet nodded her assent and watched as a House Elf was sent to the boys with a note. 

A few minutes later the door to the Headmaster’s office opened to reveal the curious faces of James Potter and Sirius Black. Upon seeing Harriet both their faces lit up, then morphed to confusion at the colour of her now green trimmed robes. 

“You’re a Slytherin?” James asked while Sirius looked to be fighting a battle with himself as to whether he should hate Harriet on principle or not. 

“This time,” she said and something like relief flashed across James’ face. “Though it took some convincing not to end up here last time as well,” she added and chuckled at the conflicted looks on both the boy’s faces. 

“There’s no reason for you to fret, boys,” Dumbledore spoke up from behind his desk. “I think this is a perfect opportunity to show House Unity within Hogwarts after a very long time neglecting it.” He was smiling benevolently at the boys and Harriet could practically feel the hero worship emanating from James and Sirius. It was interesting, really, how much power he held over the young minds of Britain, just because he won the most powerful wand in the world off his ex-lover. She wondered absently whether she would hold that power once she defeated her cousin. She hoped not, she was quite liking being as anonymous as a stranger who appeared suddenly in the Great Hall one day could be. She didn’t want to be the Girl-Who-Lived again and she sure as hell didn’t want to rule Wizarding Britain.

“Very well then,” McGonagall said when James and Sirius looked a little less like their daughter that wasn’t their daughter yet had betrayed them, and a little more like their normal selves. “It is time for dinner and we must be heading to the Great Hall.” 

They were all in agreement and headed from the Headmaster’s office to the lower floors of the castle. It was decided that Harriet would wait at the back of the Hall while Dumbledore introduced her and then she would make her way over to the Slytherin table and all would, hopefully, return to normal. 

“I am very pleased to announce,” Dumbledore said once it seemed the entire school was in attendance, “that we have a new student in our midst.” He gestured to Harriet, who was desperately trying to blend into the wall behind her in an attempt to escape the hundreds of eyes currently trained her way. She kept her face smooth with indifference, however. It would not be good to alienate her potential Slytherin allies so early because she failed to keep her emotions in check. “You all must remember Miss Harriet Peverell who joined us quite suddenly yesterday evening. She has since been patched up by Madame Pomfrey and sorted into Slytherin House as a seventh year. I trust you all will make her feel welcome while she is with us.” 

Harriet smiled indulgently at the Headmaster before making her way over to the Slytherin table by the wall. Her eyes locked onto a familiar head of midnight black hair and she headed straight for Severus Snape. 

Severus didn’t quite know what to do when he noticed Harriet Peverell was walking straight towards him, eyes locked on his position and nothing else. He was not used to girls paying any attention to the poor half-blood in hand-me-down robes and with no social skills. Especially girls as incredible to look at as Harriet Peverell. 

* * *

As she walked, Severus congratulated himself on being completely correct in his assessment of her the night prior. Without all the dirt and grime covering her, and in clothes that didn’t look like they were being held together by will alone, she was stunning. Harriet was slim, but clearly fit beneath her fitted robes, with deep black hair running down to the middle of her back. She had it pulled back in a braid, her fringe covering the majority of her forehead and highlighting the sheer greenness of her eyes. Severus had thought about it a lot last night and realised Harriet Peverell’s eyes reminded him a little of Lily’s. They were about the same shape and were definitely the same colour. Harriet’s were, however, ten times more vibrant than Lily’s could ever be and seemed to enhance her face in a way that Lily’s never could. 

Harriet was tall, but not taller than him, Severus realised as she strode quickly along the back of the Great Hall and up the Slytherin table. The seventh years sat closest to the Head Table in a show of in House order no other House seemed to utilise and that Harriet had seemed to both notice and understand. She was getting closer and closer to him, Severus realised and would surely be expecting to sit somewhere. The places on either side of Severus were full so he did the only thing he could think of; he pushed Regulus to the side, ignoring his indignant squeak, and quietly called the Kitchen Elves for a clear place setting next to him. 

She smirked slightly as she reached him and sat elegantly at his side. She moved with the grace of a pureblood, he realised, and wondered once again why she was sitting next to him when, surely, there were other people more suited to her station in this blasted House. Her eyes raked over him and Severus had to suppress a shiver at the intensity of her stare. And then, she smiled and it was so completely infectious that before he even noticed he was doing it, Severus was smiling back. It felt foreign on his lips and he glimpsed the baffled expression on Regulus’ face over Harriet’s shoulder and stopped. He had a reputation to uphold after all. He couldn’t have the Gryffindor’s thinking he’d gone soft hearted on them. 

“Hello, Severus Snape,” she said and he just stared. She knew his name.  _ Why _ did she know his name? She chuckled and he realised two things; one, he must have let his mask fall once again to betray the utter confusion he was experiencing and two, she had a wonderful laugh. It was light and musical but nothing like the fake, girlish nonsense that came out of the likes of Narcissa Black or Aurelia McMillan. It was beautiful and genuine and if laughs could describe people, he imagined Harriet Peverell’s laugh would describe her perfectly. 

“Relax, Mr. Snape,” she said, humour present in her unnaturally expressive eyes, “the Headmaster informed me you would be the most equipped to help me out with a few things.” 

Severus would refuse to admit it, but his heart sank. She was beautiful, friendly, strange, there was obviously a story behind how she miraculously turned up in the Great Hall last night, he would likely be thinking about the way she said his name for  _ weeks... _ and she was exactly like everyone else. She was friendly towards him because he was the smartest in their year and she’d need an introduction to the Hogwarts academic life. She was going to use him like everyone else and then leave him when she realised exactly who he was and he was completely  _ stupid _ for ever even daring to hope otherwise. 

She must have seen the look on his face because she rested a hand on his forearm, looked directly into his eyes and said; “I asked who would best be able to aid me in enduring the inevitable ‘purebloods are the best and those with the most money and their heads up the most Ministry Officials asses are the best of the best’ speech, and he suggested you.” Her eyes gleamed as she leant in further to him, her hand sliding up his arm to grip his bicep, to unnerve him with the way his skin burned at her touch or to stabilise herself he didn’t know, and whispered in his ear. “It helps that you’re by far the best looking thing in this Hall.” 

Severus choked slightly at that and felt the blood rush to his ears. Did she really just say what he thought she said? There was no way. No way at all that she thought anything special about his looks. He had known for quite some time that there just weren’t enough pureblood features in his face for it to be considered attractive around these pompous elitists. The fact he was dirt poor until his grandfather died and left him the Prince estate didn’t help matters either. 

“You’re not a pureblood then?” he asked once he regained control over his vocal chords. Regulus was smirking over Harriet’s shoulder and Severus made a note to punch him when they got back to the common room. He was enjoying this far too much for Severus’ liking. 

“Well of course I am,” she said and winked at him. Severus was now thoroughly confused and had to admit that this was probably the strangest dinner he had ever had. He hadn’t even noticed Harriet piling his plate with all his favourites, or the way she avoided the carrots like she  _ knew _ he was allergic to them, until she gestured pointedly with her own fork for him to begin eating. “It’s just a matter that my grandmother was a squib abandoned by her family purely because she didn’t have enough magic to use a wand and my grandfather was an inbred asshole who should be used as an effective example of why two purebloods should have at least three degrees of separation between them before they even consider marriage.” 

Severus could understand her logic and wondered why more people hadn’t thought like her in the past. Surely she wasn’t the only pureblood in the school who had a parent or grandparent who failed to fit their family’s mould. For Merlin’s sake, Regulus’ brother was ostracised from his family purely because he didn’t end up in Slytherin. And that wasn’t even getting started on his parents. 

She seemed content to let him think over this idea because she turned and introduced herself to Regulus. “I met your brother earlier today,” she said as Severus tuned back in to their conversation. “He’s a little shorter than he acts isn’t he?” she asked with a pointed look at the Gryffindor table where Sirius Black was indeed puffing himself up like an overexcited pufferfish and attempting to direct the attention of the Gryffindor girls to his ‘ _ hilarious _ ’ comments on whatever had happened that day in classes. 

“Yes,” Regulus said, observing Harriet with an intensity Severus was unsure he was comfortable with. “I think that is the most accurate description of my dear brother’s character I have ever heard, Miss Peverell, thank you.” Regulus eyes ran over Harriet and lingered in places all too appealing to the male eye and Severus glared at him. He was getting possessive now. That was just great. He hadn’t even known the girl two days, she says one nice thing to him and he’s convinced she’s his. The worst part was, she would probably take great offence to the implication that a man could ever own her. She seemed like that type of girl and Severus wasn’t about to awaken a beast he wasn’t brave enough to endure. 

“I know the type well,” she said. “James Potter seems that way as well, used to getting what they want and prone to overzealous displays of emotion when they don’t.” Severus nodded, not quite sure what to say but completely agreeing with her assessment of the banes of his Hogwarts existence. It was like she knew exactly what he wanted to hear and she said it all so confidently he couldn’t disagree even if he wanted to. Which he didn’t.

She jumped into asking about the Professors and the quality of classes she should expect tomorrow and Severus was still completely entranced. She was smart too, he realised once she showed him her timetable and they had almost every class together. She had chosen to take Care of Magical Creatures instead of Arithmancy, but she said it was because she loved animals and had a more than adequate education in muggle mathematics, so Arithmancy would be useless to her anyway. He could understand that and wouldn’t dare tell her he was petrified of any animal or beast larger than a grim, especially after his encounter with a turned Lupin two years ago. He thought she might know anyway, like she seems to know everything else about him, but she didn’t say anything and for that he was thankful. 

Dinner ended and Severus was prepared to guide Harriet Peverell to the common room but she linked her arm through his and his brain short circuited. He could not believe this girl. She was the complete opposite of any pureblood Slytherin he had ever met and he didn’t know what to think of it. Looking around he could see everyone else was thinking along the same lines. Harriet Peverell was something else entirely. 

It was not until she turned and asks him what the password was that he realised  _ she _ led  _ him _ to the common room, and not the other way around. 

* * *

It seemed the entirety of Slytherin House was waiting for her when Harriet walked into the common room on Severus’ arm. It was hard to contain her glee at being able to touch the man. He had been something so completely forbidden to her for so many years and now, here he was, seventeen and more handsome than she had ever seen him. Hair bound back at the base of his neck, dark chocolate eyes clear with with a sense of peace she had never witnessed in him before. He was tall and the arm beneath her hand was strong with muscle she was certain he could put to great use. She had been questioning him about the seventh year curriculum and it was so very clear that he was the smartest person is his -now her- year and that he was passionate about learning. This was Severus Snape before the war and Voldemort and Dumbledore and the greater Wizarding Britain had beaten him down and turned him into a bitter and jaded Potions Professor to students he  _ hated _ . 

Harriet wasn’t sure continuing her schoolgirl crush on her favourite professor would be a wise decision, especially if she was going to tell him everything like she planned to. However, at this point she didn’t much care. He was letting her tease and touch and generally have a pleasant conversation with him and she  _ loved _ it. If things kept going the way they were going, Harriet was in real danger of contemplating thanking Lucius bloody Malfoy the next time she saw him, rather than breaking his nose like he more aptly deserved. 

The common room door closed behind her and a hush fell over the students. Apparently it was introduction time. Severus led her over to a cluster of couches occupied by Regulus and who she could only assume was Narcissa Black and Rabastan Lestrange. It was disconcerting to know the youngest Black sister wasn’t yet a Malfoy, but a Black. Especially with her shining gold hair so in contrast to Regulus sitting beside her. 

She let Severus sit before she turned and faced the room. It seemed all of Slytherin House was there, watching, waiting for the newcomer to explain her presence in their sacred House. She would bet they were all wondering exactly how well she would fit in with their elitist ideals. Especially after walking in on the arm of the resident seventh year half-blood when she could have been walking with the likes Theaddus Nott or the youngest Lestrange. 

“Good evening Slytherins,” she said in a quiet but most demanding voice. “My name is Harriet Peverell, daughter of Jameson Peverell and Lilian Peverell née Gaunt.” There were gasps across the room and she knew she now had their attention. There was the confirmation that she was a pureblood, and one of considerable prestige at that. They would be hard pressed to find another student in this room with bloodlines so attractive to their elitist views. “Granddaughter of Hadrian Peverell and Marietta Peverell née Travers and Morfin Gaunt and Lucretia Malfoy.” 

There were more gasps this time and some of the younger years began whispering to themselves about the implications of her  _ very _ prestigious heritage. Harriet scanned the room, looking for upper year students she knew either were currently, or soon would be, Death Eaters and stared them down. “I recently made a trip to Gringotts and you should now know me as Lady Peverell-Gaunt-Slytherin.”  _ Cousin of the Dark Lord _ she left out but could see that many people understood. There would be many letters home tonight, she imagined, asking Death Eater parents just how valid Tom Riddle’s claim to be Slytherin’s only heir really was. Harriet made sure to brush her hair over her shoulder in an overly dramatic way of highlighting the rings adorning her right hand while she still had everyone’s attention. 

“How do we know you’re not just a fake?” a boy, around fourth year by the look of him, called out from the back of the room. “The Dark Lord is Slytherin’s heir because he’s the only Parselmouth currently alive.” 

Harriet smirked at the child who dared to question her heritage, new though it may be, and pulled out her wand. “ _ Serpensortia _ ,” she said and a beautiful five foot constrictor appeared before her. : _ hello you beautiful thing: _ she hissed and chuckled as the snake preened at her compliment. 

: _ You summoned me kind speaker? What can I do for you? _ : 

Harriet kept one eye on the rest of the room as she conversed with the snake, smirking at the looks of awe and reverence she was getting from the more devoted Slytherins. Draco and Blaise had always told her it was a Slytherin’s most unattainable desire to be a Parselmouth. Many settled on worshiping any speaker they have the privilege of listening to. She could tell she would have an audience any time she spoke the snake language. Maybe she should get a snake just so she had the excuse to speak Parseltongue in the common room. 

: _ See that boy near the back? _ : Harriet asked the snake indicating with her head to the fourth year that questioned her before. The snake nodded in assent and she continued. : _ Would you be so kind as to restrain him for me? No biting though, he is but a foolish hatchling who needs to be taught to respect his elders _ .: 

Quick as an asp, the snake was upon the fourth year and wrapped tightly around his middle, pinning his arms to his body with a strength seemingly impossible to a human. Harriet walked over to the extremely pale faced boy, baring her teeth in an impression of a smile and crouched down to his now crumpled level. “What is your name, hon?” she asked, her tone sickeningly sweet and so false she could have choked. 

“D-dolohov,” he stammered and Harriet was hit with recognition. This man grew up to scar her Hermione irreparably. Dedicated Death Eater who managed to successfully escape Azkaban despite the evidence against him when the Dark Lord fell. Maybe Harriet could change that. If this child saw  _ her _ as the biggest snake in the nest maybe he would be less inclined to follow in his parents footsteps. Especially if she continued to prove Tom Riddle was nothing but a fake pureblood posing as the all knowing leader of a radical governmental take-over. 

“Antonin Dolohov,” she said and he nodded his head frantically when the snake tightened its hold slightly. “Well, Antonin my dear, do I need to prove anything else to you?” 

Dolohov shook his head so violently Harriet was afraid he might knock himself out so she smiled, big and genuine and hissed for the snake to let him go. She rose to her feet, the snake circling up her body to rest heavily across her shoulders and returned to Severus’ side. “Are there any more questions?” she asked and when the room remained silent she smiled once more and waved a hand to dismiss them. “Have a good night everyone,” she said cheerfully, winking at Regulus when he snorted, clearly not buying her cheer for a second.


	5. The Truth and Blushing and a Pyjama Party for Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harriet tells Severus the truth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's compact and you all know the story but Severus doesn't so here you go

They were sat on the couch before the common room fire, surrounded by a Parsel-strength privacy spell; a snake, whose name was apparently Aya, sprawled between them, relishing in the heat of the flame and the hands stroking lightly down her warm scales. Severus watched Harriet Peverell as she collected her thoughts. 

She had told him that Harriet Peverell wasn’t the name she was born with. That when those three unknown spells hit her, she somehow managed to travel back in time 20 years and now she was stuck here. That when she went to Gringotts that morning, they had informed her Lady Magic had blessed her with a real and true identity in this time as compensation for being sent here so rudely against her will. 

Severus would not lie and say he understood everything Harriet had told him so far, but he understood enough to know Harriet must be exhausted. She had been through so much in the past two days alone, not including whatever had happened to her before arriving in the Great Hall to make her look like she had. It was very late and Severus was tempted to put this conversation on hold and tell Harriet to go to sleep. But, the girl looked so determined to tell him everything and who was he to deny her? 

“Okay, we’ll start at the beginning,” she said. “I was born on July 31st 1980 to James Potter and Lily Evans, blood adopted goddaughter of Sirius Black III.” She paused, scanning Severus’ face for something, likely an imminent explosion of emotions or something of the like. He held it in however. She had not said overly loving things about his tormentors at dinner this evening, and she was clearly a Slytherin. There couldn’t be  _ too _ much of the Marauders in her. Right? 

He nodded his head, continuing in his rhythmic massage of Aya’s scales and gesturing for Harriet to continue. “Right, good,” she said and took a large breath. She then proceeded to tell him the most tragic story he had ever heard. She lost her parents, was sent to live with abusive Muggle relatives and denied knowledge of her heritage until she was eleven like some common muggle-born, then endured the  _ worst _ circumstances for a positive education a child could have. Not only was the Headmaster a manipulative little shit, who clearly didn’t understand basic human decency when it came to Harriet and her role as a child soldier in his ridiculous war, she was also hunted down by the insane megalomaniac who calls himself the Dark Lord. 

She told him of his own involvement in her suffering. Of him telling the Dark Lord what little of the prophecy he had heard, of him treating her like nothing other than James Potter reincarnate, clouded by the knowledge that Lily had truly abandoned their childhood friendship for his childhood tormentor then died because of a prophecy  _ he _ had regaled to the man who murdered her. Harriet told him about her first potions class and the enthusiasm he crushed from her by being nothing but a total git. He had ruined the chances of a potential potions lover excelling at their craft all because he was petty and mean. It was horrible and unnecessary and thank Merlin she held enough love of the craft to study on her own. He  _ really _ couldn’t live with himself if he’d destroyed potions for her forever. 

Severus decided, in that moment, that no matter what, he and Reg were  _ never  _ joining the Death Eaters. He would do whatever he could to keep them both out of the Dark Lord’s clutches, or Dumbledore’s for that matter. He would find another way to deal with his apprenticeship fees, heck maybe he could kill off his grandfather and get finances that way? But he would do all that he could to prevent Regulus’ early death and Severus’ own life full of contempt and sadness and anger and resentment. He would not become the jaded and bitter man Harriet Potter had known throughout her schooling. He would not die at the hands of the Dark Lord’s snake where no one would ever find him, because no one would care to look. 

Harriet told him about her adventures within the walls of Hogwarts. The Basilisks and Acromantulas and Dementors and Dragons and Giants and Centaurs and Sphinxes and Werewolves and Dark Lords and Dark Lords and Dark Lords... Her battles and friendships, hard times and good. She told him about her trip around the country looking for and destroying  _ horcruxes _ of all things, only to find out she was one herself. Severus couldn’t think of anything more horrifying than finding out you were an anchor for the soul of the man who murdered your mother right before your eyes and so, so many other innocent people. She told him about walking into the Forbidden Forest and facing the man who ruined her life straight on, no wand in sight, completely defenceless and sacrificial. 

Then, she told him about coming back. 

How she fought with her remaining friends on the ruined grounds of Hogwarts against the parents of her schoolmates and the murderer of so many more. How Lucius’ son stood by her side against his own father because the people of this generation - _ his _ generation- got so lost within their own petty selves, they allowed a man of no overly extraordinary power to control them and ruin the lives of their children. How Harriet Potter struck down the Dark Lord in the middle of the Great Hall, exactly where she appeared two days ago. How she was finally free of the monster that had followed her around for seventeen years when Lucius bloody Malfoy and two of his companions hit her with three unknown spells and sent her hurtling back 20 years into the past where the Dark Lord was still at large and everyone she had ever known was too young to know of her existence. No wonder she wanted to punch the blonde fucker. 

Hell, Severus was pretty sure he’d hold the Malfoy heir’s arms behind his back for her. 

But, there was something peaceful in her when she finished her tale that made Severus wonder whether that was the first time she had ever told anyone the whole story. She had mentioned that her friends knew very little of the abuse she suffered and the wider Wizarding World knew very little of what happened to her in these very halls. He felt inexplicably privileged that she trusted him enough to tell him but could not, for the life of him understand why she did. He had been cruel and unkind to her for seven years, never even noticing the symptoms she displayed that were so similar to his own; when she flinched or refused to trust anyone other than herself. Why on earth was she telling  _ him _ all this? 

He asked her as such and marvelled as her cheeks flamed. She looked down shyly, fixing her eyes on his hands as they ran down Aya’s back rather that look at his face. “I may have had this extremely inappropriate and completely unattainable crush on you since fifth year,” she said quietly and Severus had to strain to hear her. His own cheeks turned red at her admission, the heat travelling up his neck and ears as well. 

“ _ Why _ ?” he choked out, completely baffled at how she could possibly fancy someone who was so horrible to her for inexplicably no reason. 

“Well,” she said and blushed even harder. “He was teaching me Occlumency and stumbled across a memory from my life with the Dursleys. He had always been told that I was a spoilt little girl who was arrogant and used to getting everything she wanted and, clearly, that wasn’t the case. I was stronger than he had ever thought and he came out of my mind completely pale and more shocked than I had ever seen him. Then he apologised.” He was staring wide eyed at her now, still slightly appalled that she could ever like the wretched man he had turned into after Lily’s death. 

“I still don’t understand,” he said. “I was completely horrible to you for so long. How could you even tolerate me, let alone  _ fancy _ me?” 

She chuckled a little when she looked up, seeing the bafflement and confusion written clearly on his face. “First off,” she said, “You and Professor Snape are not the same. Like I told James Potter earlier,  _ you _ have not been through the same things that the Snape I knew has been through and therefore, while you may biologically be the same person, you will forever be separated in my mind as two different people. Like this James Potter will never be my father, Professor Snape was a horrible git but  _ you _ were not and, hopefully, you never will be.” 

He smiled at her then, (that was twice in one day now, something was clearly wrong with him) and nodded. Of course that would be how she would see it. And he supposed he could understand how confusing it would be for her if she was constantly trying to find the people she once knew in the people here now. He had no idea what his older self was really like and the only way for him to find out would be to live through it. 

“Second;” she continued, “after that incident he treated me like an adult. No one had ever done that before, seen me as competent and able to make my own decisions. Dumbledore expected me to kill the Dark Lord but wouldn’t let me know anything that might help with my quest because I was ‘too young’. Professor Snape started training me in more than just Occlumency, but defence as well. We duelled a lot and I began to see more than just the snarky git who terrorised the dungeons and I liked him. The less tense and hateful he got around me, the more handsome he got as well, which definitely was a contributing factor.” 

She winked at him and Severus blushed again. Honestly, he hasn’t felt like this much of a teenager since he was fourteen and Aurelia McMillan wanted someone unimportant but trustworthy to practicing kissing. He had spent the majority of those three months hiding unwelcome problems in his pants and turning Weasley red at any indication that Aurelia was near. At least Severus had more control over his body’s reactions now. It wouldn’t do to embarrass himself completely just yet. 

“That still doesn’t really explain why you’re telling me this,” he said. “You did just say that me and future Snape are two different people in your mind.” 

She rolled her eyes at him. “Simple,” she said simply, “I trust you.” 

He stared into her emerald green eyes that had seen so much more than he could possibly fathom or understand and smiled again. Damn his reputation, it was the middle of the night anyway and Harriet deserved a smile. She trusted him and he would be thankful of that for the rest of his life. She had barged into the 70s, all fiery magic and glowing eyes, and promised to make the future a better place than she had experienced. She was going to save them all from themselves and Severus was going to be allowed to watch. To help when she asked and bask in the presence of this strange and wonderful girl who was the product of his ex-best friend and his schoolyard rival. He couldn’t wait. 

“And,” she said slowly, a wicked grin spreading across her oh so lovely face, “I think you’re hot and I want to get to know you better so I thought you deserved to know.” 

Severus choked, his face flaming once again and stared at Harriet in shock. She was so unexpectedly amazing and for some unknown reason she saw something in him that no one else had ever looked close enough to find. 

They continued to stroke Aya in the light of the common room fire. She asked about classes and he responded with helpful tips and interesting tidbits of information. He asked how on earth she could take Care of Magical Creatures after all the beasts she’d encountered that had tried to kill her. She responded that those were the exceptions and she’d ridden a Hippogriff once and it was the best experience she had ever had in the air. They talked about themselves like they never had before, sharing favourite colours and foods and music. Places they’d been and wanted to go to in the future. People they liked and what they wanted to do with themselves once they left the shelter Hogwarts had so graciously offered to them for seven years. 

They talked well into the night and as the fire grew low in the common room hearth Severus listened to the rhythmic breathing of Harriet Peverell asleep on his shoulder. His breathing matched hers while Aya slithered closer to the heat that was trying desperately to escape the chill of the dungeons. Severus fell asleep feeling more content than he ever had, because he had been thinking and Severus now knew, without a doubt in the world, that despite the short amount of time he had known her, that  _ this _ was the girl for him. 


End file.
